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Help me choose a dog please

I posted on off topic day about miniature Australian shepherds and now I'm not sure they are the right breed for me, as much as I want one. So I decided I'd post my dream list for a dog and see if anyone can advise me on what breed (s) to look at- I'm perfectly fine with a mutt but still want to know what kind of crosses to keep an eye out for when I scan the shelters and rescues looking for a 2 year old or older dog. This will probably be long, but here goes.

1. I live in an apartment. I'm moving in June, hopefully to a house with a fenced yard, but till then the dog needs to cope with apartment life.

2. I'm gone from about 8:30-3:30 most week days so the dog needs to be able to cope with that.

3. Needs to be good with other dogs.

4. I do some of the find a dog surveys on the web but they keep suggesting terriers and I'm just not wild about them. I've been around several JRT and their manners and recall has not impressed me. Besides, I don't like the looks of most of them. A West Highland terrier or Australian terrier might be okay looks wise.

4. Needs to be under 40 lb. But, I've been mostly around medium/large dogs and so don't want a tiny dog.

5. Cannot have pitbull or other supposedly dangerous breeds in it.

6. I can do a morning on leash walk/jog and about an hour at an off leash park in the afternoon walking and tossing a ball, but that's it for exercise.

7. I'd really like to try agility.

9. I like the intelligence of herding dogs.

I think that's it- Is there even a chance that anything will meet my requirements?

I posted on off topic day about miniature Australian shepherds and now I'm not sure they are the right breed for me, as much as I want one. So I decided I'd post my dream list for a dog and see if anyone can advise me on what breed (s) to look at- I'm perfectly fine with a mutt but still want to know what kind of crosses to keep an eye out for when I scan the shelters and rescues looking for a 2 year old or older dog. This will probably be long, but here goes.

1. I live in an apartment. I'm moving in June, hopefully to a house with a fenced yard, but till then the dog needs to cope with apartment life.

2. I'm gone from about 8:30-3:30 most week days so the dog needs to be able to cope with that.

3. Needs to be good with other dogs.

4. I do some of the find a dog surveys on the web but they keep suggesting terriers and I'm just not wild about them. I've been around several JRT and their manners and recall has not impressed me. Besides, I don't like the looks of most of them. A West Highland terrier or Australian terrier might be okay looks wise.

4. Needs to be under 40 lb. But, I've been mostly around medium/large dogs and so don't want a tiny dog.

5. Cannot have pitbull or other supposedly dangerous breeds in it.

6. I can do a morning on leash walk/jog and about an hour at an off leash park in the afternoon walking and tossing a ball, but that's it for exercise.

7. I'd really like to try agility.

9. I like the intelligence of herding dogs.

I think that's it- Is there even a chance that anything will meet my requirements?

Thanks!

Westies (west highland white terrier) are really great dogs. They are big dogs in a little package. Lots of attitude/personality and they are super, super loyal to their person (or family).

Boston Terrier. Hands down. And of course, I highly recommend finding a rescue. I "rescued" mine as they were both 4 year old breeding females being tossed out after the crappy puppy mill style breeders that owned them were done with them. Prior to them I had my "soulmate" dog , another female Boston. They are just the BEST dogs, lots of energy when you want, love to cuddle when you want, clean (no stink!), they shed very little and they are really smart and guideable.

1. I live in an apartment. I'm moving in June, hopefully to a house with a fenced yard, but till then the dog needs to cope with apartment life.

Get a dog that is suitable for your current living accomodations & lifestyle (not the one you're going to have ... sometime) - how will you manage housetraining? where can you go for quick walks, longer walks, enclosed off leash areas etc.
How thick are the walls (eg pup howls/barks/cries at night or while you're gone during the day), will your neighbors complain (alot).

2. I'm gone from about 8:30-3:30 most week days so the dog needs to be able to cope with that.

Limit your selection to adult dogs - this is not really suitable for puppies, unless you're willing/able to have at least a midday dog walker in to play/exercise for an hour or so.
Even many adult dogs will appreciate a mid-day break or a couple days a week of "doggy daycare" - this is especially nice of you want a dog that excells at being around other dogs.
(look for a daycare that has certified dog behaviorists/trainers on staff)

3. Needs to be good with other dogs.

How much time/energy are you willing/able to invest in socializing your pup/dog?

4. I do some of the find a dog surveys on the web but they keep suggesting terriers and I'm just not wild about them. I've been around several JRT and their manners and recall has not impressed me. Besides, I don't like the looks of most of them. A West Highland terrier or Australian terrier might be okay looks wise.

I may be taking an immense leap here, but you don't seem experienced enough for "hard" dogs, so avoid many of the terrier breeds or more dominant type dogs (OTOH if you know the breeder/bloodline, specific dogs can be very different than a breed sterotype).
You want to be very realistic when filling out puppy applications so that the breeder is able to ensure you end up with a pup/dog that matches your personality & lifestyle. (even more important with rescues where dogs may have not so great histories)

6. I can do a morning on leash walk/jog and about an hour at an off leash park in the afternoon walking and tossing a ball, but that's it for exercise.

Definitely look for low energy dogs.

7. I'd really like to try agility.

Almost any dog can "do" agility

9. I like the intelligence of herding dogs.

Most herding dogs will be too high energy for the life style you've described - the odd older individual (ie adult) through an experienced breed rescue might work for you, as the rescue will be able to thoroughly assess the dog before placement.

Is there anyway that you can foster a dog for your local shelter or rescue before committing to getting your own dog?
Have you found (visited) local agility groups, trainers, etc?

OP - I recently started a search for new dog, trying to downsize below the 50-60 lb size that I love. I'm NOT a purebred person for a slew of reasons. First reality check is that there are not a lot of available dogs in the 30-40 lb range - unless they are terrier breeds. I ended up finding a cutie that appears to be dachshund/border collie, 20 lbs. 2 yrs old, and he's beautiful. He would meet every criteria on your list. My suggestion is: look for some herding breed in the mix. I'm a big fan of GSD in the mix and sometimes you can find one that's quite small. The herders are mostly smart and trainable. Also, strongly recommend that you find one through a fostering type rescue group - they work hard to get their dogs socialized, healthy and also crate trained. My new one was pulled from animal control by foster group. When I took him, they would be back to pull another.
Spend lots of time on Petfinder. If you see anything remotely interesting, email and talk to the organization; they may also know of others that would work for you.

We don't get less brave; we get a bigger sense of self-preservation........

If you decide to adopt a sheltie, just make sure they aren't barkers...some are and some aren't but the foster should know how they'll react. How about a cocker spanel... all of mine have be wonderful dogs. Not much barking and they do fine with indoor living. My old girl would have loved agility.

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~Immanuel Kant

I second the corgi suggestions, but as I had two (show-bred) for 15 years, they do have some downsides. Both were extremely tough to housebreak, stubborn as rocks and smarter than me most of the time! One was a barker, and that double coat sheds white fluffy fur year-round.

Personally I love poodles and Boston Terriers, and think either one would fit nicely with your criteria. My experience with any of the herding dogs is that need excecise and busy work. Adoption events are great because you can spend a lot of time with the dog and talk to a foster person, so get an idea how the dog is. I got my present pup from a petsmart adoption. I also got my standard poodle from a rescue, so there are a lot of varieties out there if that is the route you choose. (and no, I am not against breeders, my standard schnauzer came from a breeder, good breeder.) If you do not have a special breed, I would hang out at adoption events, if nothing else it may show you what you do not want. You might be surprised though by what you like!

Will this be your first dog? I agree with above poster, in that, if you are not breeding and not really dead set on one breed- go to a shelter. You will be amazed at which kind of dog (maybe one you never thought of before) catches your eye.

I most recently spent christmas with EIGHT dogs together in a household. They were:

Corgis are great, but I have had Corgis & JRT, and to me they have similar personalities, both a little stubborn. We mess with ours a lot, so didn't have any issues, both well behaved & smart.
I would say Border Collie. Mine is friendly, agile and freakishly smart. She weighs about 35lbs. I can take her anywhere and never worry about how she will act around others. They are a little high strung, and you can make one a nervous dog if you aren't careful. She stays inside all day, loose, and very rarely makes any kind of mess. (We do occasionally find a napkin that she has pulled out of the trash & shredded!)

Just about any medium sized adult mutt would probably fit the bill. Although I'd probably go a step further and recommend that you not get a groomable breed unless you've got money to burn on grooming.

Another option would be to just wait until you have the house/yard situation sorted out. Even then, a herding breed may prove to be challenging if you are fairly limited on time.

I have had my lab and SP in a condo situation w no yard, house with yard and dog door, and now condo type with no yard. Everyone was happier in the house + yard + dog door situation. I spend a lot of my time right now walking dogs or driving to places where they can get off leash. Even though my dogs are adults, they like a lot of exercise. If I didn't already have them prior to knowing I'd be moving into a smaller home w/o a yard, I would NOT have a dog.

A good horseman doesn't have to tell anyone...the horse already knows.

I ignored all the advise on breed characteristics when I got my first dog (an Akita). Fourteen years later I had learned my lesson. Yes, there individuals of any breeds that defy stereotype, but most share traits that are predictable. Based on your needs I would avoid ALL working breed dogs, especially ones who are bred to work stock.
You can't go wrong with a Boston Terrier (or a Poodle of whatever size you prefer). I suggest a larger Boston, with a nose...not such a squished face. They breather better than the little bug eyed ones.

I ignored all the advise on breed characteristics when I got my first dog (an Akita). Fourteen years later I had learned my lesson. Yes, there individuals of any breeds that defy stereotype, but most share traits that are predictable. Based on your needs I would avoid ALL working breed dogs, especially ones who are bred to work stock.
You can't go wrong with a Boston Terrier (or a Poodle of whatever size you prefer). I suggest a larger Boston, with a nose...not such a squished face. They breather better than the little bug eyed ones.